This invention relates to a batting aid for use in hitting a baseball, and more particularly to strengthening and positioning the leading arm of a batter while swinging at a baseball.
One of the factors that may prevent a batter from consistently hitting a baseball with power is the inadvertent extension of the leading arm during the initial-to-mid portions of a batter""s swing at a baseball. When the leading arm is extended, the twisting force of the body is not fully transmitted to the bat because of the long moment-arm created by the extension, and the triceps muscle becomes flexed to nearly the full flexion available to that muscle. The degree of flexion of the triceps muscle is directly proportional to the amount of extension of the leading arm.
A great deal of the power generated in swinging a bat is based upon the batter""s leading arm being able to whip the bat across the front of the batter""s body at great speed while the upper torso is twisting in the direction of the swing. This, in turn, requires the triceps muscle of the leading arm to provide maximum flexing power and speed at the time the bat is beginning to pass in front of the batter""s body. However, if the leading arm is prematurely extended, the full power of the triceps muscle will not be available to pull the bat across the body at maximum speed just when the baseball is striking the bat. As a result, the bat not only hits the ball with less speed, but may also recoil upon striking the ball, making for a poor follow through.
Various prior art devices have been used in an attempt to improve a batter""s swing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,548 to Upshaw provides a flexible strap with arm cuffs at either end that are intended to limit the distance between a batter""s arms during a batting swing. While this device does serve to keep the arms relatively close to one another, it does nothing to overcome a batter""s tendency to prematurely extend his or her leading arm when swinging a bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,856 to Morse uses an elastic strap secured at one end just below the knee of the batter""s leading leg, and at the other end to the batter""s wrist, to coordinate and synchronize the batter""s stepping into a pitch with the swinging of the leading arm. Again, however, this device does nothing to prevent the premature extension of the leading arm while swinging a bat.
What is needed is a device that keeps the leading arm from prematurely extending during a swing, and that simultaneously builds the strength of the triceps muscle to promote a faster bat speed just before the bat contacts the baseball.
The present invention uses an elastic strap to hold the wrist of the leading arm close to the body during the initial phases of a batting swing, and to strengthen the triceps muscle so that it can develop the greatest power just at the time the bat is striking the ball. The elastic strap is connected at one end to the leading arm toward the upper portion of the biceps muscle and at the other end to the wrist of the leading arm. The strap is secured at the biceps muscle with a soft fabric upper arm cuff that may have a slight amount of elasticity. A rigid, molded xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d-shaped elongated support cup maybe used at the upper arm beneath the upper arm cuff to distribute the force of the elastic strap along the upper portion of the arm. A support strip may also extend from the wrist cuff at the front of the hand, across the hand and between the thumb and forefinger, to reconnect with the wrist cuff at the back of the hand. This support strip will prevent the wrist cuff from riding up the arm from its proper position on the wrist.
In practice, at the beginning of the swing, the elastic strap will tend to hold the wrist close to the upper arm, with the result that the elbow is highly flexed and the triceps muscle is substantially extended. As the swing progresses across the front of the body, the elastic strap will tend to maintain the wrist close to the body, although the elasticity of the strap will allow the triceps muscle to flex as the bat moves across the body, pulling the bat across the front of the body with great speed. In addition, the upper body will twist toward the direction from which the baseball is coming, and will add to the speed of the bat just before it contacts the ball. Because the elastic strap holds the wrist close to the upper arm and body, the batter""s swing will be more compact than if the leading arm was extended. In this position, the twisting motion of the upper torso will cause the bat to hit the ball with greater speed and force than if the leading arm had been prematurely extended. In addition to improving a batter""s swing in this fashion, the elastic strap also provides a force against the flexion of the triceps muscle, thereby exercising that muscle and, over time, increasing its strength.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to improve the technique of a batter""s swing. It is another object of the invention to provide greater speed and power to a bat just before the bat strikes a baseball. It is a further object of this invention to exercise and strengthen the triceps muscle of the batter""s leading arm. These, and other benefits of the invention, will become apparent in the following description of the drawings.